Master_of_Disaster



Mridu BorahSamm HurstErica Preston



Instructional Objective

 * The player will be able to identify risks and solutions for surviving disaster situations.
 * The player will be able to identify a variety of common resources that are specific to surviving both man-made or natural disasters.
 * The player will be able to identify how to use resources to survive situations that arise in a disaster.

Learners & Context of Use
The educational subject matter is suitable and relevant to teens 12-18 years of age. This board game can be played an unlimited number of times or by a variety of predetermined game-endings. The board game can be played in the home; or as an afterschool activity for Boy/Girl Scouts; or in a Science class unit about natural disasters or severe weather; or part of a junior first-aid training course. The recommended number of players for this game is 2-4 players.

Competing Products
Worst Case Scenario Survival Game (board game) I Am Alive (electronic game)

**Object of the Game**
Players gain knowledge about disaster survival solutions. They use their knowledge to earn resource tokens that will enable them to survive random disasters as they appear in the Scenario deck. The winner of the game is the first player to advance the entire path of the board and be awarded the //Master of Disaster// title.

Content Analysis
Earthquake, hurricane, tornado, fire, extreme cold, extreme heat, lightning, flood, emergency kit //Survival resource categories:// Shelter, water, fire, food, sanitation, electricity, cash, tools || Game board 40 Scenario deck of cards 40 Question & Answer [Q & A] deck of cards One die 4 pawns Colored tokens Game instructions || Resources || Scenario deck of cards / Q & A deck of cards
 * ~ Content Type ||~ Content Elements ||~ Game Elements ||
 * ===**Facts**=== || // Disaster categories: //
 * ===**Concepts**=== || Disasters

1. Plays gain knowledge about resources needed to survive disaster scenarios. 2. Players confront disaster scenarios through different game contexts. 3. Players utilize resources available to them to survive disaster situations. 4. Game play parallels emotional anxiety and uncertainty of a disaster situation. ||
 * ===**Principles**=== || If a disaster occurs, then one must act resourcefully to survive it. If one does not know how or does not have the necessary resources, the situation will get worse and survival will become more difficult. || Scenario deck of cards / Q & A deck of cards

Surviving a disaster is based on two things: 1. Correctly answering questions on survival techniques to earn tokens to be used in game play. 2. Strategically competing against other players to earn tokens of different values to survive an impending disaster. || -Interested in taking precautions in preparation for a disaster -Other people/animals in a player's presence that also might be affected by the disaster || Players can select from two different ways to declare a winner in the game: 1) first player to reach the designated finish point on the game board; 2) player who holds the highest value of tokens when the game is unanimously called. ||
 * ===**Procedures**=== || Survive a disaster || Play on the game board allows participants to survive and "win" with multiple outcomes. ||
 * ===**Processes**=== || Disaster scenarios occur and resource tokens are used to survive. || Pick a card and answer a question about survival techniques. Answering correctly allows the player to move forward or gain resource tokens; answering incorrectly results in no immediate rewards or advancement on the board. ||
 * ===**Probabilities**=== || Random disasters, reduction in tokens, and drawing a chance card may all occur and affect the progress of players' movement toward becoming "Master of Disaster." || Pulling a chance card. ||
 * ===**Context**=== || The book "**Ready or Not**" by Susan Conniry and Tom Beasley is used as a reference for information on survival resources. || Elements of the game ||
 * ===**Vantage Points**=== || -Context of players when a disaster strikes

Game Materials
Game board 40 Scenario deck of cards - "c//hange of direction,//""//disaster scenario,//" "//chance,//" and //"quarantine" cards// 40 Question & Answer [Q & A] deck of cards One die 4 Pawns Colored tokens - different colors reflect different value points 60 second sand timer Game instructions Q&A Card; Scenario Card

Pawns

Colored tokens

Time Required
The game will take approximately 5 minutes to set up. An average game may last between 30 minutes to one hour.

__Getting Started__

 * 1) =====Each player selects a pawn.=====
 * 2) =====Shuffle the cards for both decks [Q & A and Scenario] so they are well mixed.=====
 * 3) =====Place the two separate card decks image side up in the area indicated on the game board.=====
 * 4) =====Sort token chips into color value point categories [yellow=1, red=5, orange=10, green=15, blue=20]=====
 * 5) =====Each player is given one token chip for each color value, equaling a beginning value for each player of 51 points to start game play. Remaining tokens are set aside and one player is asked to manage the resource tokens for future transactions that will occur during game play.=====
 * 6) =====Everyone rolls the die; the player to roll the highest number goes first. Play proceeds to the next player to the right, and so on around the board.=====
 * 7) ====="Start" and "Finish" are designated as the //Master of Disaster space//. Pawns will move counterclockwise along the game path to begin game play.=====

__Playing the Game__

 * 1) =====On their turn a player rolls the die and moves their pawn around the board path the designated number of spaces determined by die.=====
 * 2) =====Players proceed to roll the die and move along the board until they land on either a Q & A space or a Scenario space on the game path. Players must read the cards carefully and take the action described. Depending on the space they land, the card will tell what action to take next. For example:=====
 * ====="Q & A Card." The player picks the top Q & A card and hands it to the player on his/her left to read the question. The sand timer is initiated at the same time that the card is read, and the player will have up to one minute to hear the question, perhaps have it repeated, and answer the question correctly. If the question is answered correctly the player will receive an amount of tokens that is listed on the Q & A card. If the player is not able to correctly answer the question they must wait until they land on another Q & A space for another opportunity to win tokens.=====
 * =====“Scenario Card.” There are four different types of Scenario cards a player may draw randomly from the deck. The first type is a “__Scenario - Disaster Card__” in which a disaster scenario is listed along with a specific token point value that a player is "debited" in order to survive the disaster. The second type of card is a “__Scenario - Chance Card__.” For this card, the player must respond to the action request on the card. Some cards tell the player to give a token [point value] to other players in the game; some provide an “escape” reward for a future disaster; others may provide bonus tokens for the player. The third type of card is a “__Scenario - Change of Direction Card__,” which requires that all players must change the direction of their movement on the board [counterclockwise > clockwise]. A change of direction may occur up to two different times in one game depending on the random draw of this card. The fourth type of card is a “__Scenario - Quarantine__” card. The player must roll the number instructed on the card before they can move from their current space on the game path. For example, if the card reads “roll a six to get out of quarantine,” then the player cannot move on the game path until he/she rolls a six. At that point in time, the player would move forward six spaces on the game path. In this example if the player is quarantined and rolls a two, he/she cannot move on the game path. =====
 * 1) =====Game play proceeds around the board with players attempting to earn tokens as resources and to survive disasters as they randomly occur.=====
 * 2) =====If a player's pawn lands on a Q & A or Scenario space already occupied by another player's pawn, the player taking their turn must move through the same actions required by board space.=====
 * 3) =====The game is considered “won” when the first player reaches the "end" of the //Master of Disaster// space. A player __must__ roll the exact number that allows them to land directly on the //Master of Disaster// space//;// they cannot simply pass the the space to win. If one of the players runs out of tokens and is unable to meet the debit required for a Scenario-Disaster card situation, game play will continue with the remaining players. If a player runs out of tokens, the remaining players have the option to continue to play w/o that player until someone reaches the Master of Disaster space. //Optional game-end:// if a player runs out of tokens, all other players will take one last turn and then each player's token points are counted to determine 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place. Rankings are decided by the player with the highest number of token points and so on.=====

Motivational Issues
Game play is driven by creating a mood of suspense and feeling of insecurity to replicate the unpredictable, which is often true with a disaster situation. This is accomplished through the use of "change of direction" cards," "quarantine cards," and "chance cards" that come into play randomly during the game process. Drawing one of these cards can result in either a change of direction on the game board, a loss of a turn, or a potential gain or loss of tokens to the players. Q & A and Scenario-Disaster cards are used to educate players on the subject matter of different types of disasters and the skills and resources needed to survive them.

Design Process
Our first thoughts were for an entirely different game, based on //landmarks// and //geography//. After considerable discussion the team opted to look for another concept direction, given that we were unable to identify enough novel elements to make a landmark game different from existing board game designs already on the market. The inception of our current theme on //disaster survival// came after one of our team members consulted with two friends that had written a short book on the subject. After scouring the game market for similar board game types, we were surprised to find that there were few board games published that dealt with this topic. With "theme" in hand, the team met regularly on Skype to discuss different play options, and which types of educational information would be relevant and add to the interest of the game. The biggest roadblock was how to make the game challenging and fun in lieu of the serious content information. Team members enlisted friends to play-test the game and brainstorm ideas and suggest more competitive aspects. Some of these suggestions resulted in changes to game cards such as types of disasters [listed on the Scenario cards], modifications to level of difficulty [listed on Question & Answer cards]. Other suggestions motivated us to change the game path design [originally a linear start-to-finish] to a circular design in which the players might proceed more than once around the circle before game play was completed. Another prominent change, in line with the modification of the path design, was to add a new type card to the Scenario deck that when pulled by any player would cause the game direction to move in the opposite direction around the board. During a bout of play-testing one of our team members came up with the idea of a "quarantine" card that would prohibit the movement of a player unless they were able to roll the die resulting in a specific number listed on the card. These last changes were added particularly to enhance the "suspense" of the game and also mimic the feeling of uncertainly that is similar to the emotions in a real disaster or emergency scenario. Looking to the future, prospective changes to this game will no doubt include moving to an electronic format so that "sight and sound" can be injected for a more immersive mood when playing the game.